Wěidá dé yùyán
by The Black Maiden
Summary: Mato Yowane has battled the Dead Master as Black Rock Shooter. But when two enemies prove to dificult for her, she will enlist help from a team of formar enemies-and her twin sister, Haku!
1. Prolouge

The battle had been fought, and now it was over. A black-haired woman sat in a hospital bed, holding two children. There were two girls, one with black hair and one with white. A man with short, white-blonde hair was standing over her.

"The nurse said they are twins, so why do they look so different?"

"They're _fraternal _twins." The woman replied.

"What will you name them?"

The woman looked at the one with white hair. "This one will be called Haku." she said. She shifted her gaze two the one with black hair. "And this one will be Mato."

The twins opened their eyes in response. Mato's eyes were electric blue, while Haku's were red.

"They have much potential." added the woman "A great destiny awaits them."

Even now, the girls' eyes' sparked with a determination that could never be expected of an infant. Already, they understood their purpose;

_"We will not fail, mother. We will do as you ask."_


	2. EP1:Players at the ready PT1

**YES, FOLKS, ITS TH MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: THE FIRST EPISODE OF VOCALOID!**

**Just so u know, the episodes will be arranged into 3 parts, exept for this one, which will be 5 parts.**

Also: each episode will begin with a flashback.

**And I think I have kept you people waiting lone enough. ACTION!**

Opening: Haku Yowane: Dark Alice

Episode 1: Players at the ready

_The school bell rang with its usual tock, signaling all students at Morimotto Junior High that it was time to begin the first day of the new school year. Students arrived in their freshly washed and ironed blue and gold sailor outfits, talking about what they did over the summer. But one pair wasn't part of a big group. They were walking and talking by themselves, and everyone noticed._

_They were twins, that part was obvious. They both had their hair in pigtails tied up with light blue bows. One had black hair and blue eyes and one had white hair and red eyes._

_"This is a very nice school, Mato." said the one with white hair, who was named Haku._

_"Yeah Haku, it's lucky we got in." replied her sister, Mato_

_"Hey look!" Haku pointed to the curb. There they saw a girl with green eyes and brown hair in a half-cut get out of a fancy-looking car._

_"I didn't know people took their cars to school." Mato stated._

_"That girl must be rich. Maybe she'll be nice." replied Haku. And with that, they made their way to their first class._

_..._

_"I wonder what Haku is doing right now?"_ is a pretty stupid question to ask when you're shooting at someone with a giant bazooka and trying not to get sliced in half.

Never the less, besides fighting, it was the only thing on Black Rock Shooter's mind.

Neither Black Rock Shooter nor Dead Master said a word as they lunged at each other, swinging their weapons left and right, each trying to make a mark on the other.

Dead Master broke of and took place on top of one of the tall rocks that adorned the battlefield, while Black Rock Shooter still hung suspended in the air.

The two stared at each other for a while, and then Dead Master shot two chains at Black Rock shooter, who was just barely able to get out of the way. Unfortunately, she also accidentally took a dive and landed on her stomach on the ground.

Sensing that the battle was headed for the worst, she shot at the ceiling and a shower of rocks came down, dividing up the battle field.

Black Rock Shooter sighed in relief. That is, until she looked at her watch.

_3:28_

She gasped. "Oh crap, I'm late!" she exclaimed. Jumping to her feet, she bolted for the door.

…

Mato flung the door open and sprinted inside, barely remembering the shut the door.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Yowane. May I assist you in anything" Asked Kukuri, their part time maid.

"No, just make sure my clothes are on my bed." Mato replied.

"Yes, Ms. Yowane." Kukuri replied

Mato rushed to her room through the many long hallways in the house all the Vocaloids shared. Finally reaching her room, which she shared with Haku, on the third floor, she flung on her clothes, which consisted of an outfit that looked exactly like Haku's, but her crop top was black, her pants were gray, and her tie and the edges of her half-sleeves were light blue instead of purple.

Afterward, she tied up her pigtails with blue and black ribbons, told Kukuri to hold all her calls, jumped on her motorcycle and sped to the rehearsal hall

…

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The alarm clock on Aka's bedside table went off with an annoying beeping noise. Without even looking, she slammed her hand down on the _off_ button and buried her face in her pillow. Several minutes later, her crimson eyes glanced at the time:

_6:23_

Realizing she couldn't stall any longer, she lifted herself up and slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed, running a hand through her long, brown hair.

Aka slumped over to the bathroom and washed the gunk out of her eyes. She thought about getting some breakfast, but decided on showering before she did.

She turned the shower nozzle on high, undressed, and stepped under the shower. Massaging her fingers through her long hair felt good. Besides, she had always liked water.

When she was done, she stepped out and put on her red bath robe. Her hair was still pretty wet, so she ran her fingers through it in order to shake of some of the water.

She nearly screamed when she looked at her hand and saw it was covered in blood.

Had she nicked herself in the shower? No, she couldn't have! And who shaved their _hands_ anyway?

With sudden realization, she noticed the blood wasn't just on her hands. It was all over the floor.

And standing in the doorway, was none other than…

Black Rock Shooter.


	3. EP1:Players at the ready PT2

**HI EVERYBODY!**

**I know it's been, like, a billion years since I last updated, but I finaly got this done! I was stuck with a massive case of writers block, and it's been horrible. But I got it done, and here it is, the second part of the pilot episode of Vocaloid!**

**Don't worry. Lots will be explained in this chapter. Like why is BRS in such a rush? and what is dead Master plotting this time? And who the heck is this**  
**Aka girl? It will all be explained, right here, right now!**

**HAVE FUN!**

* * *

Dead Master sat on her large, black throne in her large, black castle. Not feeling, or thinking, just sitting. She was being a cold, still, beautiful, menacing statue, which would kill you if you moved or breathed or did anything.

She would sometimes sit like this when she went outside. She would sit on the cliff, and look down at the bleeding world beneath her. She would listen to the screams of the innocent, agonizing, stupid pleas for help that would never come, for mercy that would never be shown. After that, the sounds that usually followed were blood-curdling screams of agony and maybe, if you were lucky, a choking noise, and then the scream would stop, and playtime would be over.

The Otherworld hadn't always been like this, of corse. Once, it had actually been beautiful. Or so she had heard. Once, the Otherworld was the most beautiful place in the universe. But that was before the war started.

It had started as a civil war, but turned into a full scale world war all too soon. With technology much more advanced than the real world, the invention of the Electric Bomb ultimately destroyed most of the Otherworld. Other things, like Nuclear and Hydrogen bombs also added to the destruction. Afterwards, the toxins left over from the Nuclear bombs led to a world wide epidemic.

Now four-hundred years later, the war was still going on, but this time it was between the "governors" of the Otherworld. Once the first war had ended, certain individuals had stepped up to become governors. But too many gained power, and they all began fighting. It was apparent that whoever hit the hardest, won. Also, who ever won was the one who's subjects understood that if they tried to think for themselves, without permission from her, they would burn in hell. She visited her cliff often, to make sure that they were still trapped in eternal torment, like they were supposed to be.

But dead master _wasn't_ sitting on the cliff, watching the pathetic little humans die. She was in her own castle, on her own mountain. A statue was a statue, and statues were made to look pretty.

She wished Black Rock Shooter were a statue. You couldn't kill a statue, and a statue couldn't kill you. And if the statue stopped being pretty…

_Death is a part of you, but I can change that._

You could smash it into a thousand pieces.

But then…there was that rumor…

_**Ha! Fools!**_

There was a rumor, about another black rock shooter…

The _white_ black rock shooter.

The people called her the angel.

Dead Master called her naivety.

She was the naïve dream, born from a stupid person's mind. She was the false hope that salvation was just around the corner. The people were fooling themselves.

There was no help out there.

_You don't know that._

_**But…It's the truth.**_

_But there's a chance._

_**Don't talk to me like you know me!**_

_Hehe…but I _am_ you!_

_**No you're not!**_

_How do you know?_

_**Because you're a statue, and statues aren't real!**_

_But…you can break statues. You can't break _me!

_**Yes I can!**_

_Then break me right now!_

_**I…**_

_You can't do it. You can't break Black Rock Shooter, either._

_**Yes I can! I just **_**choose **_**not to.**_

_If so, why are you waiting?_

Dead Master stopped. Why _was _she waiting? If she could crush Black Rock Shooter like a bug…why hadn't she?

_Because you can't._

_**Shut up…**_

_You can't crush her. You're not evil._

That did it.

_**SHUT UP!**_

For just a moment, the statue had found a weak point in the cage Dead Master kept her in. She escaped, and was now bolting for the door to Dead Master's consciousness.

_**NO! YOU WRETCH!**_

And for just a moment, statue had control over dead master. She was free, for just a moment. But like all things, that moment had to end.

For Dead Master had caught up to her.

And in the next moment, statue was back in the cage, locked away, only used…

_To look pretty…that's my purpose?_

Dead master, retreated into her mental world, stared at the girl before her who looked so much like her.

_**Remember this: I am your master. You obey me. If you try to leave again, I will not hesitate to kill you.**_

Dead master turned and began to walk away.

_You always say that. You always say that to me._

Dead Master stopped, and muttered, too soft for anyone to hear.

_**So… maybe one day I'll mean it.**_

Dead Master, now recovered, summoned her floating skulls.

"Chi! Shi! Come here!" Like dogs, they came rushing at her call.

"Tell Death Scythe to come to my castle at noon today;" she smiled. "I'd like to speak with her."

…

_"Before that day comes, save me from this awful place!"_

"That was amazing, girls!" The Vocaloid producer practically yelled into the microphone. "Take five!"

Mato Yowane, A.K.A: Black Rock Shooter was currently standing back to back with her twin sister, Haku Yowane, as they sang the final line of _Romeo and Cinderella_. The rehearsal hall was empty except for the producer and the other Vocaloids.

There was Miku Hatsune, the band's lead singer and ultimately the most popular. Next was her fiancé, Kaito Shion. After him were his older brother Akaito and his younger sister, Meiko. After them were the twins. The Kagamine twins, Rin and Len, and finally, Mato and Haku, or, as some people called them, the sake twins! (People called them this because they _loved _sake!) And after them was Neru Akita, who could only be considered both a tsundere and a cell phone addict.

At this moment, Neru was on her phone (Duh!) gossiping with god-knows-who, Rin was trying to talk Len into trying the Harmonia noodles with the red-hot chili sauce, Meiko was stretching, and Kaito was stroking Miku's hair, whispering something in her ear, probably about the fact that Mato and Haku had just finished singing Miku and Kaito's "song."

It was true that _Romeo and Cinderella_ was their song. After all, they had fallen in love when they performed a duet of it. Six months later, Miku announced that soon, she would be the new "Mrs. Shion!"

Mato had never really had time for dating, and she preferred her twin's company anyway. That didn't mean she had never had a crush before, but… she was 24 and had never really been kissed, except that one time when they performed at that bar where she, Haku, Neru, and Meiko had all gotten _really_ drunk and started making out with random fans.

But that didn't count. She had never been kissed out of love before.

Someone nudged her. She turned to see Haku standing behind her with two bottles of sake and was holding one out to her.

"I thought you could use a drink. I didn't get a chance before, because you had to get started as soon as you showed up," she said innocently.

Mato smiled and accepted the drink, unscrewing the cap and downing half the bottle in four seconds.

"You whooped Dead Master today, right? I didn't get a chance to ask before." Haku continued.

Mato swallowed her drink and shook her head. "No, but I got pretty close." she replied "I'm betting she's gonna want a rematch, though."

"So we'll hit the training field before. Then you can beat her senseless." Haku smiled. "I can't wait to hear all about it!"

"You can always come with me." Mato suggested. "I could use the help."

Immediately she noticed a change in her twin's demeanor. Her shoulders slumped, her eyes cast downward, and her gleeful smile deteriorated into a sorrowed frown.

"I-I…I don't…I mean…not that I don't want to…but…"

Mato understood. Her sister hadn't been back to the otherworld since the incident.

For a long time, her father had called it The Incident.

But Mato and Haku…called it murder.

"It's fine. I won't make you come." Mato tried to get her sister happy again. "B-besides, She should be easy to take down one-on-one!"

…

Aka screamed and darted forward to catch Black Rock Shooter, who had suddenly gone limp while standing in front of her, seemingly pleading for help.

The girl had a massive gash above where her diaphragm should be, and Aka could see straight through it to the other side.

She also had various wounds on her forehead, most likely made by falling objects, and was bleeding from her eye.

Aka stared down at the bleeding girl in her arms, struggling and gasping for breath; her eyes were full of sheer agony.

"Help-" … the girl's desperate pleas were silenced by a river of blood she expelled from her throat.

Aka put a hand over the wound in her torso, her fingers wallowing in the crimson bath. If only she could stop the bleeding…

"Hak…" The dying girl let out a pathetic whisper. "Hak…Hak…"

"Eh? W-what are you saying? Who's-"

"HAKU!" Black Rock shooter screamed, her eyes, well one eye now, growing wide with panic.

"Where's Haku! Haku!" She wailed desperately. "She…she's in danger. She's going to kill Haku!"

"Who's Haku?"

Black Rock Shooter opened her mouth to speak, but instead was silenced by a waterfall of blood that excavated itself from her lungs.

"H-h-how c-could y-you?" The poor creature struggled to breathe. "Y-y-you…y-y-you…"

"I-I…I…"

"I-I-I was…so… scared…and you…"

Then she spoke…_those words_.

"You killed me."

Her whole body twisted and writhed, and she opened her mouth in a silent scream.

After a moment, all her muscles relaxed, her eyelids drooping slightly, revealing pools of stainless blue water that were now empty.

Aka let go of Black Rock Shooter's mangled body. She collapsed against the floor, her head hitting the tiles. She breathed in the sickening smell of blood, which now covered her like a blanket.

If only it was all a dream…

The smell of blood disappeared, as did the stickiness. She slowly raised her head.

The bathroom looked clear. Black Rock Shooter's body was gone, and there was absolutely no blood anywhere, just water.

_If only it was all a dream…_

"H-h-huh?"

…

Death Scythe normally would not have come to see Dead Master if not for her invitation. But today was special.

They each sat at either end of a long table. A fine meal was spread out before them, and Dead Master's zombified servants stood vigilantly, awaiting orders.

The maids before her were peculiar and yet not peculiar. Each had pale white, very fair skin and pitch-black hair. Their black dresses were slightly ragged from work, and their lips were painted black. The only color in their face was the red eye shadow that outlined their empty eye sockets.

Yes, the girls had no eyes.

That was what was most peculiar about them. Death Scythe assumed that they were some of the humans that had been captured, but not killed or eaten. So instead, Dead Master removed their eyes and their free will, so they would follow orders.

The servant ladies set down more silver trays, adding to the already exquisite banquet before them.

"Leave us!" ordered Dead Master, flicking her hand as if to shoo them.

The girls stepped back, bowed, and left the room.

Death Scythe leaned forward on her hands.

"I never thought a solitary creature like you would call me to your mansion for lunch."

"Oh, but it's a very special lunch." Replied Dead Master.

She picked up a glass bottle full of dark liquid. "Wine?" She asked.

"Please." replies Death Scythe.

Dead Master clapped her hands, summoning one of the ghost girls. She than motioned toward the drink.

The girl nodded, taking the drink from the table and pouring it into Death Scythe's glass.

"That wine was made from the blood of royalty, I presume." Death Scythe knew Dead Master did not settle for cheap imitations.

"A princess from the village of Mikuroyuri. She was to marry her true love from Ichikakesu in a week, uniting the two villages. Of course, the apostles know I don't settle for anything but the best.

"But… time to get down to business," Dead Master continued. "I have summoned you to my castle to offer you a deal."

"Oh?" questioned Death Scythe. "What kind of deal?"

"You and I share a common enemy-" Dead Master answered. "-Black Rock Shooter."

"I only met her once, and she seemed much too confident with her actions."

"Exactly. And she needs to be put in her place."

"What are you saying?"

Dead Master smiled. "I'd like to offer you a partnership…"

…

"Come _on_ Lenners, just try it!"

"Rin, I told you a million times, I'm not into spicy stuff!"

"But it's not even that hot!"

"The chef said it was hotter than Texas!"

"The chef is a liar!"

Mato and Haku could hear Rin and Len even from the training yard.

"Do you think they'll be done any time soon?" Haku asked her twin as she dived away from her wooden pole.

"Eh, probably not. I mean, it's a sibling rivalry, so once they get going there's no stopping them." Mato replied as she made another lunge for Haku.

Haku blocked Mato's attack with ease, and then made a swing for her sister's leg. Mato dove backward and avoided being hit, but her landing was off and she fell.

"Better not do that in the Otherworld. Dead Master would pommel you with falling rocks," Haku pointed out.

Mato giggled. "Where's Akaito by the way? I haven't seen him since I got here."

"You're not _disappointed_, are you?" Haku teased her younger twin.

"No. Are _you_?" Mato joked back.

Haku's face turned bright red. "Sh-shut up!" She replied.

This gave Mato a chance to lunge for her twin. She aimed her wooden poles at her twin's feet and got ready to strike, but something slammed into the left side of her torso.

Sharp pain seared through her stomach, and she collapsed to the ground, unable to move. Haku was over there and holding her in a matter of seconds.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you all right? I shouldn't have hit you there!"

"It's okay, Haku. I'm alright." Mato struggled to say as she attempted to sit up.

"It's not okay! I hurt you!"

"I'm fine, really."

Mato sometimes wondered why her older twin worried about her so much. She always seemed alright when Mato went to the Otherworld, but besides that…

No, actually, scratch that. Mato knew Haku worried about her every time she went to the Otherworld. The night Black Gold Saw had stabbed her, Haku had actually ventured, with Dell, of course, into the Otherworld, where she hadn't been since the incident, and spent two hours looking for her lost sister.

Even though everything had been blurry, she still remembered how Dell had pried her out from under the rocks and carried her to the hospital.

"Well, Akaito, apparently we've missed the party."

Speaking of which, there was Dell now.

"Eh! D-D-Dell!" Mato stammered as she tried to get to her feet without looking like a retard. Of course, this she subsequently failed at, managing instead to do a face plant onto the training field grass.

There was an awkward silence, followed by Dell saying "Mato…do you need help?"

"No! I'm fine! I'm completely fine! Totally and completely fine! I'm Black Rock Shooter! I can do anything!"

"Um…okay then" he replied. "But can I help you up anyway?"

"O-o-o-of c-course! I am Black Rock Shooter, and I am very…what's the word? Umm…accepting? Is that right?"

"Hehe…I guess." He replied as he lifted her off the ground.

"So we were wondering," Akaito finally spoke, "if you two wanna get some lunch? Dell and I found a really cool restaurant on 63rd. We figured you might want to go?"

"YES!" Haku, who had been staring at Akaito the entire time, squealed.

But, that was before she noticed everyone staring at her.

"Uh, I-I mean, sure, we'd love to go. We just need to get changed first."

"Okay. We'll be waiting."

Mato stepped inside and shut the door behind her, knowing full well Haku would be out there mentally punishing herself for a few minutes.

Only a few meters away from her dressing room (well, shared dressing room) was the staging area. And it was by this coincidence she happened to overhear Rin and Len rehearsing their duet of Cursed World. Many vocaloid fans often got it mixed up with Cursed Pain, but the truth was they were two _totally _different songs.

And it was by this coincidence that Mato realized how much the song related to a certain place she knew all too well.

_R: __The red sky covers our once live world__  
__Soon there will be silence__  
__The red river of blood flowing through the woods__  
__Bone fragments are scattered as reminders_

L: _Rain made of blood pours down on an empty town__  
__And decaying life forms sleep restlessly __  
__No one can hear your echoing screams__  
__Let me assure you, Hell is a reality__  
_

_L: __If only the happiness could have lasted__  
__but it was struck down suddenly__  
_

_R: __When the good dream ended, the nightmare began__  
__and managed to break in__  
_

_L: __A mind is still imprisoned in this feeble body __  
_

_R: __This is the beginning of an insane and cursed world._

_Screams rise into the air…_

_R+L: The feeling of happiness is no longer within our reach__  
__The everyday sunshine would dare not enter here__  
__The fires of hatred burned all our recollections__  
__What is left in the wreckage is the eternal despair_

L: _Under the vicious queen's rule__  
__We have suffered much too long_

_R: Food for the queen became the only reason to live__  
__As if someone is slaughtering animals_

R: _Somebody else was taken today__  
__Just to satisfy the hunger of the queen__  
__Steel teeth are hungrily ripping through the flesh__  
__Who is screaming from the agony of death_

L: _Scattering drops and splashes of blood__  
__What poor soul will be the next victim__  
__Of this despair?_

_R+L: To meet the suffering that is hungry for the taste of love__  
__only for the sorrow to tear deeply into my heart__  
__Don't forget the point of living even though we have none__  
__and don't forget the smiles we lost so long ago__  
_

_R+L: __(Cannot even run away, run away) __  
__(Cannot even run away, run away) __  
__(Cannot even run away, run away)_

_(Cannot even run away, run away)_

_R: __And the existence that is hope opens the door to a way out of Hell__  
__The ones who cannot embrace it shut themselves up in a fake dance__  
__someone has opened that door again, someplace very far away__  
__the repeated knawing killed the despair some time ago__  
_

_L: __The light disappears from its source into eyes hungry for the day__  
__Just pray to the heavens we will not see another rot away__  
__Where is the forsaken answer? Maybe it's there behind the door__  
_

_R+L: __But I will continue to run away, until the light shines full again!_

_R+L: (Sayonara)_

Listening to their song from behind a potted tree (because she was stealthy like that) was probably not such a good idea because when she emerged, her leg was asleep (which would prevent her from running) and a cramp had somehow formed in her hip (which would prevent her from standing)

But she did manage to make it to her dressing room without being noticed. The odd thing about their dressing room was that it was like a bedroom. It had a very large canopy bed in the center, a dresser, a closet able to hold probably an infinite amount of clothes, and a separate bathroom.

Once she entered the bathroom and closed the door, she changed into her usual disguise, a white shirt with an orange sweater vest, an orange plaid skirt, light gray socks, and glasses with red frames.

Mato then let her hair out of her pigtails and put them into two long braids that fell over her shoulders.

What surprised her was when she stepped out from the bathroom and found Haku to be out there, already changed into her disguise.

Haku's outfit consisted of a white shirt with a _green_ sweater vest, a _green_ plaid skirt, _dark_ gray socks, and glasses with _blue_ frames.

This was their ordinary disguise. In these outfits they were known as Mura and Seki Kankaku: two ordinary Japanese college students.

"Come on," Haku giggled after she saw the look on her twin's face… "Let's not keep Akaito and Dell waiting."

…

Aka slumped down the stairs, exhausted after the ordeal she had just gone through. She was relieved to see that Kami was already downstairs, making what appeared to be pancakes.

"Morning, Kami!" She said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"What was all the noise this morning?" Her cousin asked.

Aka sighed. "It's so like you to deal with serious issues before moving on to pleasure."

"It was about Black Rock Shooter, wasn't it?"

This time, Aka just turned away and refused to acknowledge her cousin.

"She's not dead, you know."

"That doesn't excuse the fact I came perilously close to ending her life four years ago!"

"Aka, there were over 100 refugees on that island! You thought she was an apostle! It was an honest mistake!"

"What is so honest about it? I almost sliced her in half!"

"If you had gone and apologized, you wouldn't still be living like this..."

"I told you, Kami," Aka said, lowering her voice, "she would never have accepted my apology. Neither would her sister. I have to accept the fact that she's never going to forgive me. If I went over there, she'd probably slam the door in my face."

Kami's voice returned to its natural quiet tone. "That seems pretty cowardly, Black Gold Saw."

Aka smirked. "Oh yeah, Black Devil Girl?"

"Mommy?" a little voice squeaked from behind her.

Aka whirled around. "Yuki! What are you doing up so early?"

"I had a bad dream." The little girl replied.

"Oh?" Said Aka, walking over to Yuki and picking her up. "What was it about?"

"I don't really remember."

"Oh. Well, don't worry, Yuki. Nobody can get to you as long as I'm around."

"Not even the bad guys?"

"Especially not the bad guys!" She kissed Yuki's head. "Now, go get dressed. Breakfast will be ready in a minute." She continued, setting the little girl down on the floor.

"Okay!" Yuki replied, racing back upstairs.

"You're keeping secrets from me…" Kami said, after Yuki was gone.

"Like what?" Aka replied.

"You still won't tell me who Yuki's father is…"

"That's because I don't remember."

Aka turned to face Kami. "I was telling you the truth when I said he erased my memories. I don't know who he was or if I even loved him."

Her eyes sank, as did her heart. "But I must have loved him, because… he gave me Yuki. And for all I know… he could be dead."

"But Yuki has the gift…"

Aka looked up at Kami.

"She has the mark, Aka. She's a commuter. Just like the rest of us."

…..

"So do we have a deal?" Dead Master asked, extending her hand.

Death Scythe looked at her, then at her hand, then back at her.

"If I help you kill her, you will help me?" she asked. "You will help me find my son?"

"Yes," replied Dead Master, "I promise."

Death Scythe hesitated then reached out and took Dead Master's hand.

"Deal."

* * *

**Well? did you like it?**

**I kinda liked the idea of Black Gold Saw and Black Devil Girl being cousins. I mean, they just seem so alike to me, I had to use that!**

**And, yes, the Yuki you saw here was the vocaloid we all know and love, Yuki Kaai. She's just so cute, so I wanted to use her in my story.**

**Just so u know, there are going to be LOTS of pairings in this story. Also, I am a DellxBRS fangirl. I only know of two, and one of them is me. The only other person I know about is Nerumi Honne (HI NERUMI!). If u r a DellxBRS fangirl/fanboy, please speak up, and join our allience.**

**And about the song: yes, cursed world is a real song. You can look it up on YouTube, but good luck finding it anywhere else. The english  
translation was done entierly by me, as I looked everywhere, but I could not find the english lyrics! So, this song does not belong to me. None of  
****the songs I use or will ever in here belong to me. If it does belong to me, I will tell you. If you want to use the lyrics, just ask me :)**

**And please reveiw! I need feedback! But no flames, please!**


	4. EP1:Players at the ready PT3

**Hey, people! I'm back. Yes, another trillion years have gone by since I uploaded. I have a good reson, so please don't kill me!**

**1. I was working on another story.  
2. I got really sick and was out for 2 weeks.  
3. I was doing homework to make up for being sick for 2 weeks.  
4. I'm lazy.  
5. Youtube distracted me.  
6. My grandparents came to visit.  
7. Writers block struck again.**

**But I'm good, now. So, after those contless months of starring at a blank word document, I bring you the third part of the first Vocaloid episode! Note: This will have some Black Rock Shooter THE GAME charecters in it, who you Vocaloid only fans might not know. I will be offering breif descriptions at the end, but I suggest you check out the wiki after your done reading.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Maybe it was because she actually expected this fight to go well for once. Or maybe it was because she was just majorly peeved at Dead Master, but for whatever the reason, Mato's anger was distracting her.

And because of that she wasn't fighting her best.

She had to work extra hard not to get sliced in half today, and that meant pretty much throwing herself out of the way of Dead Master's scythe, err, _scythes._

Because apparently, Dead Master had brought in a bit of help.

Meaning, now instead of one-on-one, it was two-on-one, as Death Scythe was now aiding in Dead Master's attempt to kill Mato, which really sucked, because she wasn't used to two-on-one fighting!

Dead Master's skulls made another dive for her, and she managed to avoid the first one but forgot about the second one and got pummeled into the ground.

Mato strained under the immense pressure on her ribs as the skull pushed her deeper into the concrete. The air rushed from her lungs and she struggled to get a grip on something to pull her out. Where was her rock cannon? It must have come loose when she hit the ground! And she needed it desperately!

Then the pressure on her chest released, and the air rushed back, leaving her temporarily disoriented. Looking up to see Death Scythe poised to strike the final blow was enough to send her back into a state of full consciousness, though, and she somersaulted backward to avoid it, which would have been a good idea, except that she slammed into the rock behind her.

Looking upward once again, she saw Dead Master perched on one of her chains. She also happened to be holding Mato's rock cannon.

Great; now, instead of being one-on-one and evenly matched, it was one person with no weapons agenst two people with five weapons.

This day was not going well.

Mato picked herself up off the ground. Okay, even if she was gonna die, she was gonna die trying.

Dead Master's skulls crept up behind her, blocking her escape. Death Scythe appeared in front, and Dead Master was perched on a rock above her.

She saw Dead Master aim the cannon directly at her and prepare to fire. Luckily, Dead Master hadn't the faintest idea of how to use the rock cannon, so she ended up firing at one of her skulls, and both were blown back by the blast.

This gave Mato the opportunity she'd been waiting for. She sprinted towards the gap made when the skull had been blown across the room.

Something smashed into her leg, knocking her down. By the way it felt, it was a chain. It was when it wrapped around her leg that she began to panic.

She began scrabbling to get a hold on something she could use to stop herself from being dragged back to her executioners, but all the rocks she grabbed were too small and too loose.

Her hand finally caught on something hard. _"Yes!" _she thought as she held it with both hands, finally ceasing the dragging motion.

Of course, this only caused the other two to pull harder.

Mato knew she would have to get the chain off of her ankle if she didn't want both her arms and her leg ripped out of their sockets. Looping one arm around the rock, she pulled her leg up to where she could reach it and fiddled with the chain, undoing it before Dead Master and Death Scythe could yank her leg down again.

Once again, she sprinted towards the hole in the wall, jumping on top of one of the many chains that hung suspended around the room.

Unfortunately, Dead Master had finally figured out how to use her rock canon, and before Mato could react, she shot right through the chain Mato was standing on, causing her to fall. Before she hit the ground, one of the skulls smashed her into the wall, disorienting her.

She felt a cold, clawed hand press against her shoulder.

"Finally, after so long, we finally have her!"

Mato opend her eyes and saw Dead Master standing over her with her scythe poised to strike.

"I would make your departure more fitting, but I hate long goodbyes."

There was a sickening tearing sound, and an explosion of pain, followed by the sensation of blood pouring over her torso.

Dead Master had just ripped open the scar Black Gold Saw had made four years ago.

Stunned into silence, Mato began to make pitiful little choking noises as the hot, crimson liquid began to spill over the marble floor. She could hear Dead Master laughing at her through the roaring in her ears, though the sounds were faint and muffled.

Mato began to tremble all over. She took deep, slow breaths to try to get rid of the nauseous feeling that had formed in her stomach, but her attempts were futile. She reached and choked on the bile rising in her throat, leaned over, and vomited on the stone floor.

Finally, her legs gave out, and she slipped onto the floor and into unconsciousness.

…..

The Apostles never really did much on days when they weren't busy killing or getting killed.

Of course, they didn't kill for the heck of it. They were "employees" of Dead Master, and therefore had to do what she said, or get punished.

Brutally.

Of course, the fact that they didn't do much didn't necessarily mean their day was uneventful.

Mii knew this because she couldn't get an ounce of peace to just sit and read her book!

"Yuu! Give it back!"

"You had it yesterday, Nafhe!"

"But I need my green vegetable juice!"

"And you didn't think _I _might want some?"

"You're not as big a fan of Vocaloid as I am!"

"I used to _know_ two members of Vocaloid! I win!"

"MII-CHAN!" They both screamed in unison.

Mii sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yuu, it's not nice to make fun of Nafhe's fan fetish. Nafhe, Yuu needs nutrition, too."

They starred at her for about three seconds before going right back to fighting.

They all sweat-dropped when they heard a door slam.

Like Mii expected, Mazuma came storming into the room, his eyes suggesting that if they didn't do what he said he would light something, or some_one_, on fire.

"You two are driving me insane!" He yelled at both of them. "And I didn't think that was possible, considering all the crap Dead Master puts us through! Now shut up!"

As if by mind control, the two quit their squabbling and dropped the bottle of vegetable juice.

Mazuma breathed a sigh of relief. "Now…just…stay like that."

In the next instant, the door to the living room opend, and in walked Mazuma's fiancé, Shizu and her twin brother Kali. She looked around for a moment before her eyes settled on Mazuma, before tears dripped down her cheeks and she flung herself into her lover's arms.

"Shizu…" Mazuma inquired while stroking her hair, caringly. "Shizu, what happened?"

"Village was attacked by rogues." Kali answered for his sister. "Bodies everywhere, no survivors."

"A raid?" he looked at Shizu "Are you hurt? Did any of them hurt you?"

Shizu shook her head. "T-t-t-they…weren't…there…when we got there."

Mii felt her heart sink. Shizu was the most empathetic of all the Apostles, and she always had a desire to help. For her to see something as catastrophic as a raid must have been tormenting.

She watched as Mazuma held Shizu even tighter, stroking her hair as she sobbed into his chest. Mii smiled.

Shizu was lucky, to have someone who loved her that much.

Mii had never had anyone like that.

* * *

_Time is dead and gone,_

_Show must go on,_

_It's time for our act._

_Shrill screams echoed through the palace of Dragon Slayer. Most likely, it was another one of her inmates being tortured. A small purple-haired girl, probably no more than eight, sat in a cold cell on a wooden cot, trying to black out the screams she had always hated._

_They all scream for me,_

_They cannot see,_

_This curtain hides me._

_It continued for more than a half-hour before they stopped. This meant the prisoner was dead, his or her energy drained for food._

_An amazing gift,_

_So quick and swift,_

_You were amazing._

_By myself I can't,_

_They start to chant,_

_Why are you not here?_

_The little girl slowly uncovered her ears and opend her eyes, which matched her hair. She sat up when she heard the door unbolt and open._

_Grinning at me,_

_I lay on my knees,_

_They want to hear me,_

_Why cannot "she" see?_

_I want to see you,_

_I need to see you,_

_I have to see you,_

_What happened to you?_

_The woman who walked in wore fancy clothes that could only be afforded by a queen. Her hair was long and black and her eyes were gold. The crown on her head was tilted slightly, but the girl knew she did this on purpose._

_We get up onstage,_

_They jump to enrage,_

_Why are you not here?_

_Why is "she" so near?_

_"Well-" said the woman, crossing her arms. "It looks like another one has died."_

_The girl said nothing, attempting to control her anger._

_"She" wants me to sing,_

_I just cannot bring-_

_I say, "she's" not you,_

_What else can I do?_

_"Aren't you going to speak to me?" The woman faked a hurt look._

_"El Diablo!" the little girl spat out the words like they were poison._

_The woman looked angry. She took two steps forward, and then lashed out, her hand gripping the young girl's neck._

_Singing a silent song of misery,_

_A monster lies trapped in it's own nightmare._

_"She" is a tyrant,_

_It lets out a plea,_

_Why did he have to leave it all alone?_

_"That's not a nice thing to say, Mefe. Haven't I taught you anything about manners?"_

_"My…name…is…Mii!" The girl choked out._

_Bound to sing for us,_

_A worthless monster._

_It never sees us,_

_It despises us._

_The woman looked furious now. "That kind of defiance had just landed you in the machine!" She said. And with that, she dragged Mii out of the room, the door bolting behind her. _

_Lying so useless,_

_"She" starts to holler,_

_"Hey, get up you worthless circus monster!"_

* * *

Mii felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see a pair of green eyes staring into hers.

"Lirio." She whispered the young man's name.

"You're crying." He observed. "Is something wrong?"

Mii started when she realized her cheeks felt wet. Quickly, she wiped away all traces of sadness. "Nada, I'm alright."

She knew that Lirio didn't believe her, but he didn't argue, just nodded and turned away.

Mii looked around. The atmosphere had become depressed very quickly, with no one really talking. Yuu slipped her hand into Nafhe's, who was starting to tear up.

Suddenly, Zaha teleported into the middle of the room, surprising everyone.

"Get your weapons." He ordered. "Death Scythe has called us."

The séance broke and everyone rushed to get ready. Mazuma heaved his sword over his shoulder, Nafhe and Yuu attached their mechanical arms onto their shoulders, Lirio went for his bow, and Mii picked up her axe.

"Esperar!" She said, suddenly putting it down. "I have to alert Darek!"

She didn't wait for a reply, and instead tore up the stairs to the 9th Apostle's room.

She knocked on the door. "We've been summoned!"

In the next instant, the door opend. A young man with somewhat spiky white hair, pale skin, and electric blue eyes stood in front of her. Or, one eye. His right one was covered with a black eye-patch.

She didn't have to say anything, because he knew what to do. He retreated back into the room for a minute, before reappearing. He wore a black trench coat that was tattered and torn at the ends, a red shirt with small spikes around the collar, and black gauntlets. There were two black handguns strapped to his belt, and two black katanas on his back.

He then followed her downstairs, and once they saw the other Apostles waiting for them, they teleported out…and into Dead Master's castle.

Death Scythe was in the center of the room, sitting in a large, black chair. Truly, she looked very threatening, like ominous clouds. Her attitude towards the Apostles was no different from Dead Master's, but she was much more…Mii couldn't find the right word…insane!

Yes, she was insane.

And even though Mii had never seen her fight, she had no doubt that if she went up against this girl, she would be bested, beaten, and killed on the spot.

All the Apostles kneeled before her almost immediately. Mii raised her head slightly, and saw a look of disgust on Death Scythe's face.

"Get UP!" She ordered them. They got up.

She pointed at Mazuma. "Come here."

Mazuma stepped up to her throne and knelt at the base. Death Scythe stood and descended down the black staircase until she stopped in front of him.

Then with one, swift motion, she knocked him to the ground by ramming the back of her scythe into his head. He cried out in pain, and Mii could see blood trickle down the side of his face.

"That's better." Death Scythe said with a giggle. "It's _so_ much more fun when you bleed!"

She looked down at Mazuma again before kicking him in the stomach. "Does anyone want me to stop?" She questioned.

Mii shot Shizu a _"don't even try it" _look. Because, what they had learned was, when Death Scythe tortures you, if anyone else tries to help, they'll be tortured, too.

But Shizu was shaking with anger and already crying. Mii knew any second all hell would break loose.

Death Scythe continued digging her shoe into Mazuma's stomach. "Well, if no one objects, I haven't had fresh meat in a LONG time! Maybe I'll just keep hitting him until he can't move any more! Then I'll have all the fresh meat I want!" She laughed and slammed the heel of her shoe down on his chest. He rolled onto his side and coughed up a river of blood.

That's when Shizu lost it. She drew her sword and charged at Death Scythe.

All the black haired girl did was flick her wrist, and chains shot from the shadows, wrapping Shizu around the arms and legs and tightly restraining her.

But that barely slowed her down. Shizu was strong, too. Not as strong as Kali, but strong, nonetheless. She pulled on the chains until they broke, then rushed forward and pushed Death Scythe away from her lover.

Shizu knelt at Mazuma's side as he began to sit up. She wiped the blood on his forehead away with her thumb, and helped him back toward the other Apostles.

Death Scythe got up, and for a second, Mii expected her to unleash hell on all of them. But instead, she just dusted herself off and said "I have a task for you. It has to do with Black Rock Shooter."

Zaha stepped up.

"Dead Master has defeated her and had her body moved to the Badlands. But, unlike her, I have not underestimated her. I do believe she is still alive, although Dead Master believes differently," Death Scythe continued.

"Very well." Replied Zaha. "We'll send out the drones and-"

"NO!" Death Scythe boomed. "If Black Rock Shooter is alive, then I want you to take it upon yourselves to make sure that that is no longer the case. Do NOT fail me-" Her eyes swept over them, and Mii could swear the temperature dropped ten degrees. "-or I will make things VERY UNPLEASANT for you. Understood?"

Darek then stood up. "We take orders from Dead Master, not you! If she believes Black Rock Shooter is dead, continuing to search for her would be going against orders. And I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I'm more afraid of her than I am of you!"

"Darek! Get down!" Hissed Yuu.

"Ah, always the rebel, DKRA." Death Scythe muttered. "She may be your leader, but I am her guest. I'm more than positive she will believe me over you, so that's why I'm going to keep this quiet." She smirked and touched a finger to he lips. "And if you know what's good for you, I suggest you do too."

…

_Ever on and on _

_I continue _

_Circling _

_With nothing but my hate _

_In a carousel of agony_

_Till slowly I forget _

_And my heart starts _

_Vanishing_

_And suddenly I see _

_That I can't break free!_

Haku sucked in quickly as not to miss her cue.

_I'm Slipping through the cracks of a dark _

_Eternity _

_With nothing but my pain _

_And the paralyzing agony_

_To tell me who I am, who I was_

_Uncertainty _

_Enveloping my mind_

_Till I can't break free, and_

_Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real_

_But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel_

_So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside_

_And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night_

_You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go_

_But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know_

_If I make another move there'll be no more turning back_

_Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black!_

Black…her sister had black hair. She had white hair. That's why she liked Bad Apple so much. The comparison between black and white made them seem like twins.

_Will tomorrow ever come? Will I make it through the night?_

_Will there ever be a place for the broken in the light?_

_Am I hurting? Am I sad? Should I stay, or should I go?_

_I've forgotten how to tell. Did I ever even know?_

_Can I take another step? I've done everything I can_

_All the people that I see I will never understand_

_If I find a way to change, if I step into the light_

_Then I'll never be the same, and it all will fade to white!_

This was the life of a Commuter, circling from one life to another.

_Ever on and on I continue _

_Circling_

_With nothing but my hate _

_In a carousel of agony_

_Till slowly I forget and my heart starts _

_Vanishing_

_And suddenly I see that I can't break free!_

_I'm Slipping through the cracks of a dark _

_Eternity_

_With nothing but my pain _

_And the paralyzing agony_

_To tell me who I am, who I was_

_Uncertainty _

_Enveloping my mind_

_Till I can't break free, and_

_Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real_

_But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel_

_So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside_

_And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night_

_You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go_

_But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know_

_If I make another move there'll be no more turning back_

_Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black!_

Commuters…they were the people who had the ability to travel between the real world and Otherworld, using an amulet known a Commuter charm. Only a Commuter could use it.

The Commuters had always been somewhat loners, traveling alone or sometimes, yet rarely, in pairs. Each chose a certain part of the Otherworld to protect, and did that with viciousness. Even other Commuters would be taken down, for fear they were rouges or one of the Apostles, the guard dogs of the queen. Yes, commuters could be identified by two things; a black star birthmark on their left shoulder, and a flame in one of their eyes.

_If I make another move, if I take another step_

_Then it all would fall apart. There'd be nothing of me left_

_If I'm crying in the wind, if I'm crying in the night_

_Will there ever be a way? Will my heart return to white?_

But Yowane Haku had given that up, all of it. And she rarely, if ever looked back. If her sister ever needed help, though, that would be the only time she would ever go back.

_Can you tell me who you are? Can you tell me where I am?_

_I've forgotten how to see; I've forgotten if I can_

_If I opened up my eyes there'd be no more going back_

_'Cause I'd throw it all away, and it all would fade to black!_

"That was very nice, Haku!" The producer exclaimed. "Take five!"

Haku only nodded, too distracted to be happy. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see Neru and Rin walk up to her. Or, Neru was walking, and Rin was getting ready to throw herself on Haku, who had only a nano-second to brace herself before the younger Vocaloid knocked the wind from her lungs.

"Haku-chaaaaaan! Why're you sad? C'mon, Kukuri said that she's making Omuraisu, your favorite!"

"Rin! Cut that out!" Panted Neru, finally catching up to the bow-wearing girl. "She's worried about Mato. Let go, you baka!"

Rin pouted and released Haku's neck.

Neru adjusted her shoulder. "So, Yowane-san 01, what's bothering you? Are you worried for Mato, or did I just lie for you?"

Haku smiled slightly at the nickname Neru had given her. Her nickname since she joined Vocaloid.

"No…well, a little…yeah." Haku admitted.

"DON'T BE!" Exclaimed Neru. "She's a big girl! She doesn't need you babying her!"

"NERU-TAN, BE NICE!" Rin commanded.

"I am being nice! I'm teaching Haku life skills!"

"She's a big girl, Neru! She doesn't need-"

"HEY, DON'T TWIST MY OWN WORDS BACK AT ME!"

Haku slipped away, leaving the two to their debating, and retreated to the garden, where she found…

"Akaito." She whispered, blushing.

Akaito turned. "Hello, Hime-sama." He complimented, smirking, mischievously.

"Eh? D-don't call me that! I…I'm not any princess."

Akaito shrugged.

Haku looked around, noticing that Dell was nowhere to be seen.

"He left." Said Akaito, almost reading her mind.

He turned to face her completely. "Something's bothering you."

She sighed. "I'm worried about Mato."

Akaito cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I know I shouldn't be…" She continued, avoiding his gaze, "But she's never stayed out this late before. Not even when fighting Dead Master! If something happened…"

"I'm sure she'll be alright." Akaito consoled her. "Dell was acting the exact same way, not to long ago. I really think he's obsessed with her." Akaito winked.

Haku nodded, unconvinced. "You don't know how vicious Dead Master can be." She whispered under her breath.

In their ignorance, neither noticed a young, brown haired woman with red eyes watching them. The outfit she wore was strange, consisting of bikini top, short shorts, armored boots, claws, a black jacket, and red devil horns. Her eyes grew wide, and then she turned and left the scene without saying a word.

…

A small red dot appeared in the sky above the Badlands. The tiny sphere got larger and lower to the ground, until a figure surrounded by red flames could be seen inside. Then, in a flash of light, the bubble popped, and Black Gold Saw, or known in the real world as Aka Kaai, Dropped into the snow banks.

Aka stood and examined her surroundings, tucking a small, black star-shaped charm with a red strap into her jacket pocket. She sighed absentmindedly, and then began trekking through the thick snow, in search of Black Rock Shooter.

A sudden breeze sent chills up her spine, and she zipped her jacket closed and extended her long, red-and-black cape, grateful for it's portability and warmth. Her foot brushed up against something that was too thick to be snow and, after brushing it away, she found a long, black jacket underneath, with a Commuter charm still sitting in the top pocket.

Aka realized now she had reason to panic. Black Rock Shooter was somewhere out here, without her jacket, and without her Commuter charm! How would she get back? How would she stay warm?

Aka gathered up the jacket, draping it over her arm and putting the charm in her pocket. She then began walking again.

Loosing herself in her own world again, visions of her sin began to play again and again in her mind.

* * *

_Aka wrenched her sword out of the ground as light footsteps thumped behind her. That damned Apostle…Aka would NEVER let her get away! The people on this island had done nothing wrong!_

_She sliced straight through some boulders, causing the ceiling to collapse, and giving her the cover that she needed. A nano-second later, she heard a ripping sound, and her saw plunged through the girl's body._

_Aka felt blood pour from the wound, dripping down the girl's torso and into Aka's hair, making it sticky. She pulled away and did a flip, causing the girl to spiral in the air, before removing her blade. But when she looked back…_

_Aka noticed the blue flame in the girl's eye, the black star on her shoulder. She gasped in horror when she realized what she'd done._

_But it was too late now. Aka leapt off the edge of the island's upper levels, turning her head back to see dust and rock plummeting around the girl's once living body. Tears filled her eyes as she plummeted head first to the ocean below._

_The cold water engulfed her, causing her to release the air she'd been holding. Bubbles swirled around her, the salt water mixing with her tears as she screamed in rage at herself._

_The water pressure finally sent her rocketing back to the surface. She emerged on the rocky shore, using her saw to drag herself up the bank, where she finally collapsed face-first in tears. She heard footsteps, and her cousin's voice calling her._

_Aka couldn't even manage a laugh, despite the fact she found it funny that Kami had been worried about her so much more these past three months._

_"Aka! Aka!"_

_Kami reached her and took hold of her hands. "Aka, are you hurt? Are you alright? Is the baby alright?"_

_Aka managed to pull herself onto her elbows, tears still escaping her eyes._

_"I'm fine." She replied. "We both are…" She felt the sadness welling up again, and she nodded her head in the direction of the upper levels, where the girl's body lay. "But SHE isn't!"_

_"What? What are you talking about?"_

_"That…g-girl!" Aka choked out. "S-she wasn't an Apostle! She was a Commuter!"_

* * *

That was the last time she had fought for six months.

She knew that girl was still alive, because six months later, after Yuki was born, she'd seen her leaving the hospital, her body forever scarred from where she'd been sliced open.

Aka kept walking, until her foot hit something hard. Not as hard as metal, but definitely not snow. It felt like…

A knee.

Aka moved her foot and realized it _was_ a knee.

Instantly, she dropped to her knees and began to dig.

Bit by bit she began to uncover who was lying there. She saw long black hair sprawled around, pale skin that almost blended with the snow…

Until finally, she found Black Rock Shooter.

The girl was on her side, curled up in a fetal position, which made her look even more delicate.

The snow around Black Rock Shooter had been stained red, and there was a lot of it, too. When Aka turned her over, she saw that the wound on her torso that she had made had been re-opened, and was spurting blood like a little volcano.

Now, being human, Aka's natural reflex was to panic. But being a mother, and having dealt with injuries before, she knew panicking would only make the situation worse. So, she did to Black Rock Shooter what she did to Yuki when she had a scraped knee or cut finger.

She first spread the girl's jacket out on the snow. Then, she picked up Black Rock, cradling her carefully, and began to sing in a low soothing voice;

_Let me hear, _

_Your own voice,_

_And use it to call out my name!_

_Will you _

_Stay by my side?_

_Like the promise,_

_We had made back then._

She carefully placed Black Rock on top of her jacket, folding it around her like a cocoon.

_There is so much warmth in this tiny white room,_

_But in the center, a cold chair stands alone._

_Yesterday we shared this room together,_

_But now it is just too empty for me._

_The clock arm slowly ticks,_

_Little by each little number,_

_I can't see all the happy scenes,_

_That we used to share!_

Aka then picked up the charm, and placed it in her own pocket, figuring it would be safer in there. Slowly, she lifted Black Rock off the snow, cradling her like a child, and reached for her own charm.

_Please reach out,_

_Hear my voice,_

_And listen to me telling you,_

_I will remain right here,_

_Don't you worry, I'm right here._

She held it in her fist, and whispered,

"Wěidá dé yùyán."

Instantly, the charm began to glow red, and a red bubble encircled the two. Inside the bubble, crimson flames sprouted at Aka's feet and danced around them. The bubble floated into the sky, then in a flash, imploded on itself and vanished, leaving only a few red sparks, which fell to the snow and burned out.

...

The cup of sake in Haku's hands sat untouched still. For the 18th time, she glanced at the clock.

_11:32_

She looked downward again, bowing her head as if she were too exhausted to lift it. The other Vocaloids sat in various places around the room. Dell was the only one who was pacing anxiously, peering out the window every few seconds.

Haku knew it would be useless to console her friend when she herself was so worried. If fact, the only reason Dell was visiting them tonight in the first place was for Mato.

"D-Dell-san, why don't you sit down? M-Mato-chan's fine. I'm sure of it." Stuttered Rin.

"Of course she's fine!" Dell snapped back. "She's freakin' Black Rock Shooter! She's done a lot worse things! And she's gonna be fine! Even if I have to go in and rescue her myself, she'll be fine!"

Rin shrank back at the comment. Neru, seeing her friend's feelings hurt, put down her phone and glared at the silver-haired man before her.

"Hey, Voyakiloid, I know you're worried about Yowane-san 02, but seriously, do you see Haku lashing out at people for no reason? NO! And she's Mato's twin sister! So stop the steamin'!"

Haku giggled only slightly at Neru's nickname for Dell. Dell wasn't a part of the Vocaloid band, but he was their friend, and a sort of "honorary member." Neru liked making fun of him by calling him a "Voyakiloid," or "Grouching Vocaloid." And Dell never really objected to the name, so…

There was a loud, off-beat knock at the door, followed by someone frantically ringing the doorbell.

"How'd they get through the gate?" Meiko wondered aloud.

"I'll get it." Mumbled Haku, scooting her chair back and walking to the door.

She nearly screamed as she pulled it open.

Firstly, a strange woman with long brown hair, red eyes, and…red devil horns stood outside the door.

Second of all, the woman was holding her sister.

"Hello." The woman said, sounding frantic. "I'm Black Gold Saw." She held out Mato's limp form. "I found her in the Badlands. She needs help!"

* * *

**Hi, me again.**

**First, the songs:**

**The song used in Mii's flashback: Circus Monster by Luka Megurine.  
I didn't need to translate this. It's in english.**

**The song Haku was singing: Bad Apple by Touhou Project.  
English translation by Cristina Vee.**

**Song Aka sang to Mato: Let me hear your voice by Miku Hatsune  
English translation by me.**

**Now for the charecters:**

**The Seven Apostles are from Black Rock Shooter THE GAME. Originaly, they were a group of aliens sent to eradicate mankind. (Eradicate means wipe out, for those who don't know.) But of course, this group is so bad-assy cool that I fell in love within an instant. So, here's a quick description of each charecter. Note, I did make some of it up for the story, so not all of this is official. Whatevers not in the wiki, I made up. Here:**

**Name: Mii  
Rank: First Apostle**  
**Hair color: Purple  
Eye color: Purple  
Habits: Speaks in mixed Spanish/Japanese, likes dirnking blood from young women  
Personality: Very positive and not easily upset, becomes cold and negitive when angry, uses seducivness to get her way  
Abilities: Can use magic and do complicated spells, uses a large battle axe in combat**

**Name: Mazuma  
Rank: Second Apostle  
Hair color: Red  
****Eye color: Red  
Habits: Likes Habanero peppers, spices and anything hot  
Personality: A bit of a playboy, but is loyal to the people he cares about. Can be slightly aloof at times  
Abilities: Can control fire in both simple and complicated ways, uses a saw-tooth shaped blade in combat**

**Name: Shizu  
Rank: Third Apostle  
Hair color: Yellow  
Eye color: Yellow  
Habits: Likes spending time with her fiance, Mazuma, likes spicy foods, enjoys teasing her twin brother, Kali  
Personality: Is very empathetic, but can be mischevious at times, is firmiliar with human emotions, is the only one who understand her brother  
Abilities: Weilds a large, gold sword in combat, rides on her twin brothers back during fights, hits him with her sword sometimes, which he seems to like**

**Name: Kali**  
**Rank: Forth Apostle**  
**Hair color: Yellow**  
**Eye color: Yellow**  
**Habits: Likes his sisters company, especialy when she hits him**  
**Personality: Is very violent, has a masochist additude, likes it when his sister beats him up**  
**Abilities: Is very strong and quick footed**

**Name: Nafhe  
****Rank: Fifth Apostle  
****Hair color: Pink  
****Eye color: Pink  
****Habits: Likes sweet things, like sugar and candy, is a huge Vocaloid fan, although how she knows them is unknown, likes animals and cute stuff  
****Personality: Is very childlike and cute, dosn't like violence, gets angry easily, is quite protective of her friends, is quite fond of Zaha  
****Abilities: Wears large, pink and black metalic claws similer to STR's hands, but uses flying, pink, bunny-eared droids in combat**

**Name:Lirio  
****Rank: Sixth Apostle  
****Hair color: White with a black streak  
****Eye color: Green  
****Habits: Likes archery, is intrigued by magic, likes children  
****Personality: Somewhat solitary and non-sociable, but is quite kind and loyal  
****Abilities: Has a slight power over wind, uses a cross-bow in battle**

**Name: Zaha  
****Rank: Seventh Apostle/Leader  
****Hair color: Grey  
****Eye color:Grey  
****Habits: Is the leader of the Apostles, is quite fond of Nafhe, although he consiters all the Apostles to be his "grandchildren"  
****Personality: Is solitary, but cares deeply for all the Apostles, is consiterd the strongest, is kind and caring to children, regardless of who they are  
****Abilities: Is ruthless in battle, uses a large battle suit and missiles to fight**

**Ok, that's the origional seven, but if you noticed, there are more than seven there. I added in Strength, because she's super cool and got, like, no fight time in the OVA. And the last one, Darek, is my OC. Well, he's partialy my OC. He's a charecter tribute to my friend Nojkjkjklololol, who is obsessed w/ Darkrai. So I based Darek off Darkrai. She calls him "Darkrai guy." She helped me create him, so he half belongs to her.**

**Name: Koutari Yuu/Strength/STR  
****Rank: Eighth Apostle  
****Hair color: White  
****Eye color: Hazel  
****Habits: Likes spots, especialy basketball, consiters Nafhe her best friend and little sister, is close to all the Apostles  
****Personality: Is exitable and peppy, but has a dark side, is very possesive of her friends, especialy Nafhe, although they fight sometimes  
****Abilities: Uses large, black "ogre arms" in combat, has some control over Nafhe's droids**

**Name: Kurayami Darek/Dark-ai/DRKA  
****Rank: Ninth Apostle  
****Hair color: Silver  
****Eye color: Pale Blue  
****Habits: Likes computer graphics and video game design, is highly coordinated, wears a black eye-patch over his right eye, is friends w/ Mazuma  
****Personality: Is somewhat apathetic, yet has a mischevious side, can be funny and random, cares for his friends  
****Abilities: Uses twin samurai swords made out of a meteorite, uses twin handguns that shoot out poisen darts**

**And one more thing before I go, I noticed I'm focusing more on tha Black Rock Shooter side of the story more than the Vocaloid side. I plan on fixing that in the second episode, but this one will probably focus on the Otherworld more. **

**And I've started on the next chapter already, so I'll try not to stall as much and get it out faster.**

**Now, I have to go plan my Dad's birthday party. R&R. See yu!**


	5. EP1:Players at the ready PT4

**Hi again!**

**Surprise! It hasn't been an eternity and I've already updated! I sorta rushed this one, so there might not be allot of info in here. I'll make up for that in the next chapter.**

**For those of you who checked out the wiki articals on the Seven Apostles, good for you. Also, it says somewhere in one of the flash backs that Mazuma has black hair, but for those of you who read the author's notes, and the wiki, you would know it's red. There's an explanation for that that I'm not going to tell you, because it would ruin the mystery and the surprise.**

**Also, next chapter, you can anticipate a fight between Black Rock and Dead Master first thing. The next part will be the last one of the episode. After that I'll move onto episode 2. YAY, IT'S ALMOST HERE!**

**One more note; Episode 2 will focus more on Miku, as in this episode she only has, like, 3 lines. Sorri. Like I said, I was rushing.  
There is also some diolouge in here that some people might take as yuri. WELL IT'S NOT! THERE IS NO YURI IN HERE! I'm not saying I have anything against yuri, in fact, if it's the right kind, I like it. But the stuff in here is nothing more than a conversation between a depressed sister and her guilty-feeling friend. NO YURI!  
Also, the ShizuXMazuma pairing in here is nothing more than a slash pairing, nothing official about it. It's based off NeruXAkaito, or RinXKaito, whichever you want. **

**One more thing, the key:  
**

**...=Scene change  
line break=flashback/end of** flashback  
_Blah_=**Song**  
_Blah=_**thoughts/flashback  
Blah=thoughts within a flashback**

**Ok, that's it, I'm done talking. ENJOY!**

Red and yellow mixed on the pillows, as the participants' hair flew. Bodies writhed and clothes were tossed unceremoniously here, there and everywhere, they're headpieces and her glasses being the only things set aside neatly. They breathed heavily and raggedly, gasping like fish thrown on a dock. They were content to stay this way for the rest of their lives. But, sadly, that wish was yet to come true, and they collapsed, side by side, reveling in the euphoria that followed.

Mazuma looked over at Shizu, watching her gasp and breathe heavily. She really was a sight for sore eyes; her golden hair flowing around her, her skin shiny with a thin layer of sweat. She was beautiful, truly beautiful, and he loved her.

She really was the only thing he had left in this world.

* * *

_At the bottom of the swamp,_

_Those that dazzle in the depths._

_Two skeletal guards dressed in rusty armor opened the door to the Red Swamp. After them, they dragged a young man, no more than 18, in chains through the fire and smoke. He could have blended right in with his surroundings, because his hair was black and his eyes were red._

_Slowly springing up are_

_Coral reefs of needles!_

_Around them, sheer chaos erupted. Red hot coal covered the ground, vents in the earth spewed fire, and the scenery was either red or black. People, or shells of what were once people, dragged themselves around the open space. Some wept; others sputtered gibberish, some screamed, some moaned, and some begged. Many were in large round cages, and were banging at the bars to get out._

_This is the only place where_

_The sunlight dare not enter._

_All the sinners fall here_

_Into eternal suffering!_

_The skeletons dragged the man over to a large throne,where a man with a thin, pale face and shoulder-length black hair sat._

_"Ah, Mazuma." the man said. "You've caused a lot of trouble for us. Hunting you down was not easy."_

_"And you really thought I was going to make it easy?" Mazuma said, looking up. "I think you need to find a new hobby."_

_"Oh, this isn't a hobby, Mazuma." The man said, standing up. "It's a profession. And my profession is to punish the sinners that exist here in the Otherworld, for the good of mankind."_

_Mazuma laughed. "What mankind? In case you haven't noticed, there aren't that many men out there to **be** a kind! And every moron and their Uncle Sid know that you're all snug and cozy in Dragon Slayer's pocket!"_

_THUD!_

_Help me, it hurts! My skin is burning off!_

_And my intestines are being dragged out._

_The man stood over him, holding a large club, which he had just smashed into Mazuma's head._

_And now look:_

_Rotten fruit is being used to melt eyes,_

_Leaving no trace of-_

_"It's foolish to provoke me, boy!" He said. He pointed at the guards. "Take him to the Chamber!"_

_Now, in regret of sins committed,_

_Of the past and future,_

_And changeable circumstance…_

_The guards took hold of his arms and jerked him upward; dragging him along before he could find his footing. They took him through several "halls" lined with fire and blood and rotting flesh, and even more cages, with the inhabitants screaming with their incurable insanity._

_Oh, my lord, please let me out of here!_

_"But words such as those have no meaning to me!"_

_They took him to a post at the end of the hall, in a circular room. They tied him to it, before stacking wood under him and lighting it._

_He contained a scream as the flames began to burn away his flesh. The guards' opened a door, and a man with messy, blonde hair which was crusted with blood, and bloodshot eyes stumbled in with a psychotic grin on his face._

_**"Oh, crap." **Mazuma thought._

_The insane man drew a long, sharp knife, and without warning, ran over to Mazuma and slashed open his torso._

_This time Mazuma _did_ scream._

_The man laughed and withdrew the knife, only to slice again. He stabbed him, and then plunged his hand through Mazuma's skin, tearing across bone and muscle._

_Mazuma howled in pain. Sweat poured down his face and mixed with tears, which then mixed with saliva, then finally with blood._

_To atone for sins already committed,_

_Has been asked, but that_

_Is an impossible request._

_Soon, the man with black hair was standing in front of him, watching as this criminal tore Mazuma apart, literally, from the inside._

_"We _will _fix you later, you know." The man said. "It's no fun if our toys break before we _all _have a chance to play with them."_

_Oh is it not reflected in your eyes?_

_The pain, even the sorrow, of mankind?_

_"How can you…find this 'fun'?" _

_The man smiled. "Years of experience, boy. I can see it in your eyes." The man took hold of Mazuma's chin and lifted it slightly. "You've seen sorrow, the pain, the agony of mankind."_

_"But…why am I…even here? What do you…want from me?" Mazuma continued._

_"You succumbed to your desires." The man said simply._

_"What desires? You think I _wanted _to kill my father?"_

_"You did, didn't you?"_

_"I had no choice!"_

_"We always have a choice." The man replied. "But you gave up that right."_

_The insane man finally removed his hand and took out a rotten orange. He smiled and laughed insanely, before pressing it into Mazuma's eye._

_You succumbed to your desires,_

_And you fell into here,_

_At the bottom of the Red Swamp._

_He screamed as the acid from the decaying fruit came into contact with the delicate tissue of his eye, which was watering like crazy._

_"You are in Hell, now, Mazuma." The black-haired man said. "Don't forget that."_

_Oh, light and such have no business being here,_

_Because only suffering continues here!_

_The man laughed as Mazuma continued to scream in agony._

* * *

Mazuma opened his eyes to find Shizu snuggled up next to him, her head on his chest. He smiled and put his arm around her. She must have fallen asleep.

No use thinking about the past now, not when the future was so bright.

…

Everything seemed to happen at once.

Haku finally mustered enough courage to scream, and when her friends came to see what the problem was they freaked out. She remembered Dell shouting a string of…very colorful words, then gently taking hold of Mato and carrying her over to the couch. Rin was shocked still, and Miku was crying hysterically. Neru, Meiko, and everyone else however, were just trying to calm everyone down.

But Haku's mind had already shut down half her consciousness and she slumped down onto the step; unable to move her arms and legs, and frankly just too tired to try.

A shadow then fell over her, and she looked up to see the Black Gold Saw standing over her.

The woman kneeled in front of her, and looked at her worriedly. "Yowane-sama, are you alright?"

Haku's response was to slump against Gold Saw's chest exhaustedly.

Surprisingly, Gold Saw didn't push her off.

Haku stayed that way for about two minutes, before mustering whatever strength she had left and pulling herself to her feet. But just as she turned to walk away, she heard Gold Saw call after her;

"My cousin is a doctor. If you'll let me use the phone, she can help!"

Haku starred at the woman, before nodding her head slowly. "If she can help…but you should take off your armor first."

Gold Saw nodded, then stooped down and pulled off her armored boots, followed by her gauntlets, and set them by the door. She removed her horns as well, and without them looked like a normal girl you might see in the streets of Tokyo.

Haku led her into their living room, where she saw Mato asleep on the couch. Her face was pale, but the blood had been cleaned away. All the other Vocaloids had encircled her, looking worried.

Haku frowned, and then turned to Gold Saw. "Did you see who did it?"

Gold Saw looked confused. "Did…that? No…but there's no doubt in my mind it was Dead Master."

Haku nodded. "I know."

…

"Well, she's lost a lot of blood, but she seems stable enough," Kami said, as she finished examining Mato. Haku had moved her to their bedroom, thinking she might be more comfortable there. But she was still as pale as she had been an hour ago,

"T-Thank you, Dr. Jigoku, for helping her. I'm sorry you…had to take time out of your busy schedule to help,"

"Oh, it's alright. I actually didn't have that much to do tonight. So when Aka called me, I was happy to come over."

Haku nodded again, still in shock that this woman's name was Aka…although it did suit well with her red eyes.

"So anyway, I'd just like to check over some other things real quick, maybe take some blood samples and check for infection, and after that I'll be out of your hair."

"All right…would you like some tea in the meantime?" Haku replied, turning to Aka.

Aka looked surprised at first, then nodded slowly and said. "Y…yes, that…I'd like that."

And with that, Haku left Kami to take the blood samples, and led Aka down to the kitchen. Or tried to, as Aka was bombarded by all the other Vocaloids, who were praising her for her heroic rescue of Mato.

"Oh, I can't believe you would go to such great lengths for a girl you don't even know! You are truly a hero, Aka-sempai! Forever I am indebted to you!" Miku cried as Aka walked past. Rin nodded in agreement, and then proceeded to bow in respect to the brown haired woman.

Luckily Meiko had enough of that, and stepped in. "All right, that's enough. Aka-sempai's probably very tired, so leave her be, you two." Meiko turned to look at Haku and Aka, and then smiled and winked, mouthing "good job" to them.

Aka smiled slightly, and then followed Haku into the kitchen. The white haired woman was digging around the many cabinets, searching for a certain kind of tea that she swore was the best in Tokyo.

This was unfamiliar to her. The mansions, the servants, the fancy tableware and delicious teas. And the more she watched it, the more she felt out of place, like a knife among a drawer full of spoons. One false move and she was capable of killing them all, which made her feel more dangerous than ever.

And Haku…well she felt so scared around Haku. She knew the Vocaloid from TV, not to mention the millions of songs she had recorded, but seeing her here, without her Vocaloid wear, dressed in a black sweater and jeans with her hair hanging loose, made her seem like just another girl you'd see on the streets of Tokyo, and not at all like a Commuter, and a powerful commuter at that.

"Oh, here we are." Haku murmured as she pulled a fancy-looking tea box out of the cabinet. Within ten minutes, there were two cups of tea on the table, sitting next to one another.

The two drank their tea in silence for a while, before Aka said "What were the details?"

Haku looked confused. "The details? But you were there."

"I'm not talking about tonight." Aka replied. "I mean four years ago. What were the details of her 'accident'?"

Haku gasped slightly, but carried on with the answer. "Um…well, the blade…punctured her left lung…scraped her diaphragm, liver, and heart…and…broke three ribs. She was unconscious for over a week." Haku looked at her more closely. "Why do you ask?"

Aka let her head drop a little.

Haku's eyes widened in realization. "You said…you were Black Gold Saw…were you the one who…?"

She watched as silver tears made their way down Aka's cheeks. "I'm sorry…for all the pain I caused you…I'm so sorry!" And with that, she broke down in a fit of sobs. "I would understand if you never wanted to see me again! After I almost killed her, I could barely live with myself! I was coming over to apologize to you when I heard about what happened-"

She was cut off by Haku wrapping her arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Don't cry." She said. "I know you feel guilty about what you did, and I'm not going to say I don't blame you for it, because that would be lying," She squeezed tighter. "But that was the past. It was a very long time ago, and I think we should look past it. I'm going to forgive you, because you're sorry."

"But how could you forgive me so easily? I thought you'd hate me!"

"How could I hate the person who saved my twin sister's life?" Haku said, pulling away. "And besides, we're friends, aren't we?"

Aka nodded, smiling slowly for the first time since she got there.

"Yeah. Friends."

…

The same nightmares had haunted Mii ever since she was 16 years old.

* * *

_"Onee, i-it's not going to open! Let's just go back, okay?" The white-haired girl said._

_Five girls crowded around a large, black door. Their ages ranged from 15 to 9, and the eldest, Mii, was twisting a stone pick in a lock._

_"No, I'm not going back, me oyes? I will not go back! Madre can torture me all she wants, but I can't go back to that place. I can't and I won't!"_

_"But Onee," The forth oldest, Kiseki, begged "We've already been caught twice! If we get discovered again…"_

_"Onee, this is much too risky!" The third, Maria, commented. She was holding the youngest girl close to her. "Tenshi's really scared, too! Please, let's just go-"_

_"JAMÁS!" Mii cried, turning to her sisters. They cringed slightly, and Mii's face softened when she saw._

_"Lo siento." She said, turning back to the lock._

_They all gasped as they heard heavy footsteps behind them._

_The second eldest, Sekai, gripped Mii's arm tightly. "Onee, it's too late to go back! Quickly, open it!"_

_"Estroy tratando de!" She cry-whispered in response._

_The footsteps came closer._

_"Onee, hurry!" Kiseki cried._

_Closer still…_

_"Onee, please make it open! You said you could!" Tenshi wept through Maria's shirt._

_Closer…closer…_

_"This has to work!" Mii muttered to herself. "Please, Dios-sama…please let this work! I know nothing has worked for me in the past, but if you truly know anything about love, please let this key turn._

_So close…and even closer…_

_"Papa, if you can hear me, please help me open this!"_

_Right on top of them…_

_"Papa, please!"_

_"What do you think you're doing?"_

_They all screamed and turned to find the black-haired, gold-eyed woman glaring at them furiously. _

_"…Um…uh…I-I…"_

_"You were trying to escape, weren't you?" Before Mii had a chance to answer, the woman grabbed Kiseki by the hair and threw her to the ground. The pig-tailed girl cried out in pain as the woman took hold of her neck, lifted her up, and threw her down again._

_Mii dropped the pick and grabbed the woman's arm, trying to tug it off her sister._

_"No, please, stop it! Madre, please! It was my fault! Punish me, but not her! Not them! Le ruego que!"_

_The woman looked at her and smiled evilly. "Oh really? You want to be punished? Well then fine!" She grabbed all five of the girls and dragged them down the hall._

_In a few minutes, all five girls were chained to poles, in a room full of torture devices. The woman looked at them evilly. "Now, since your darling elder sister wants me to punish her…" She touched a finger to her chin "I think the best way to do that would be force her to watch her sisters suffer!" She grabbed Kiseki. _

_Mii gasped. "No! Please, don't!"_

_But the woman had stopped listening long ago. _

_Kiseki was chained to a large, cross-like torture machine, and the woman stood in front of her, holding a spiked ball on a chain. She smiled cruelly, then stepped back and struck her with the ball._

_Kiseki cried out in pain and blood splattered on the floor._

_Despite Mii's begging, the woman did not stop, and continued to strike the 13 year old until half of the floor had been dyed red._

_Finally, the woman picked up a bucket full of a strange, clear liquid, and laughed horribly. Before anyone could stop her, she doused Kiseki's face, mainly her eyes, in the steaming liquid. Kiseki screamed, and Mii wished she could cover her ears to stop the sounds._

_The pigtailed girl began sobbing, and pleading "Onee! Onee, it burns! Make it stop burning, Onee, please make it stop! Please! Onee, I can't see! I can't see! Help me, Onee!_

_"Kiseki!" Sekai cried. Tenshi was sobbing, and Maria was struggling against her bindings. But Mii could do nothing but watch._

_Blood began to pour down Kiseki's face like red tears. Sekai gasped in horror and looked to Mii. "Onee, I think Madre's going to give her the acid punishment!" _

_Now it was Mii's turn to gasp. She had seen her siblings who'd received the acid punishment. Often, they lost their sight, and their eyes._

_"NO! POR FAVOR, MADRE! DON'T BLIND HER! PLEASE!_

_But it was too late. Kiseki's eyes had already melted away, leaving her with nothing but empty sockets._

_She looked up, and Mii couldn't stop looking at the holes where her sister's eyes used to be. "Onee…where are you? I can't see you!"_

_Mii's scream could be heard even by the dragons sleeping far below in their cages._

* * *

"AYÚDEME!" Mii screamed as she jolted upright in bed. She struggled to control her frantic breathing and shaky hands, and the tears running down her face seemed never-ending. She lay back down, curling up into a ball on her side and whimpering;

"Ayúdeme, ayúdeme, ayúdeme, ayúdeme…"

The door opend and Mii looked up to see Lirio standing in the doorway with a worried look on his face. She sniffled a couple of times, before weakly stretching out her hand to her friend and squeaking "Ayúdeme, por favor…"

Lirio's expression turned to great sympathy, and he walked over and sat next to her on the bed, putting his hand on her shoulder.

They stayed this way for about an hour, before Lirio looked down at her and said "Mii, do you want to talk about it?"

But Mii just smiled as best she could, and replied "Realmente, no es nada."

Again, Lirio didn't believe her, but he didn't press the issue.

…

A black snake slithered through the halls of Dragon Slayer's castle. He was different from the half-brained reptiles that inhabited these walls. His Kantoku had given him a mind, a heart, a soul, and a personality. It was amazing what she could do with magic. His Kantoku had been just another toy for the crazy Dragon Slayer, but he could sense from the start that she was much more powerful than her.

He clung to a pipe with his tail and looked down into the torture chamber. A young boy, about 12 or 13, was buried in hot coals stored inside a coffin, with only a hole for his face. The more he screamed, the happier Dragon Slayer looked, until the boy stopped screaming, and lay still with his eyes wide open.

Ron, as was the snake's name, shook his head sadly. By his Kantoku's orders, he usually interfered with the torturing process, often by hiding or breaking equipment, or letting one of the dragons loose, or biting Dragon Slayer (that one was only used in extreme measures) but this one was to far gone for him to save.

He slithered outside into the yard, where no inmate, save for his Kantoku, had ever gone. He starred up at the big, gray walls for a long time, before saying;

"Kantoku, I know that, being an older sister, you've convinced yourself not to cry…but your sisters aren't here. It's okay to cry a little."

But he knew Kantoku would never cry. Mii would never cry.

…

The first thing Mato heard was "Look, I think she's waking up!"

When she opend her eyes, she was staring at the ceiling in her room, on her bed, in her house. Over her stood her twin, and two other women she didn't really know. Well, one seemed a little familiar…

She looked around woozily. "Where am I?"

"You're at home." Haku replied. "Aka-chan brought you home."

"Aka-chan…" Mato looked over at the brown-haired woman standing next to her sister. "She must be a Commuter then, if she found me."

Aka nodded. "My Otherworld name is Black Gold Saw. You may recognize me from…well…" She looked away.

Haku put a hand on her shoulder. "I told you, Aka-chan. I've already forgiven you for what you did, Mato surely will, too."

"Forgive you for what?" Then it hit her. "You're the woman who attacked me four years ago, aren't you?"

Aka buried her face in her hands and nodded.

Mato sat up slowly. She noticed her scar had been re-stitched, and was now bandaged. Quietly, she gently tugged Aka's hands off her face, held them in her own, and smiled.

"Your saving me is enough of an apology." She said. "And I don't hold grudges against people who are truly sorry." Mato smiled warmly.

Aka looked stunned for a moment, then smiled and hugged Mato gently, as not to re-open her wounds. She pulled away after a bit, and Mato turned to the other woman.

She wore a lab coat, so Mato suspected that she was a doctor. Her hair was long and completely black, and she had pulled it into a long braid down her back. Her eyes were bright green, and she wore a pair of oval-shaped glasses. Smiling, she extended her hand.

"I'm Kami Jigoku, but my Otherworld name is Black Devil Girl. It's good to meet you." She said sweetly.

Mato took her hand and shook it. "My pleasure." She began to stand up, but Kami stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get dressed. I haven't beaten Dead Master yet, and on top of that, she has one of my weapons-"

"Uh, you're not going anywhere, tonight, that's for sure!" Kami exclaimed. "With a wound like that, getting into a fight would tear your stitches! You've also lost a lot of blood, and will need a transfusion."

"A transfusion?" Mato's eyes widened. "But who would…"

Haku stopped her. "I offered to donate some of mine, don't worry." She smiled. "As your twin, you and I have the same blood type, right?"

Mato nodded. "But then I should be fine, right?"

Kami sighed. "You need at least a week to recover from your injury, and I don't recommend facing Dead Master alone anymore. By examining what she did to you, she's much too powerful to face alone."

"But…I have no one to come with me." Mato protested.

Kami looked surprised. "Really? I thought your sister-"

"No!" Haku exclaimed, surprising everyone.

She shifted her eyes downward. "I don't venture to the Otherworld…anymore."

"Oh." Aka merely stated.

Haku looked up. "And I couldn't protect her anyway. I'm weak and useless, nothing but a failure. One of you would do a much better job than me."

Aka nodded and clasped her hands. "Alright then, it's settled. Kami and I will aid Mato in her attempt to bring down Dead Master!"

Mato started. "B-both of you?"

"Of course. Dead Master is an enemy to _all _Commuters." Kami replied.

Mato smiled. For the first time, she wouldn't be fighting alone.

…

Dead Master and Death Scythe sat in the living room, drinking their afternoon tea. The two had been silent most of the day, and Dead Master was sick of it. Quietly, she set aside her cup of tea and leaned forward. She wanted to attract the attention of her "friend."

Death Scythe looked over and smiled. "If its fresh meat you want, I could bring that Mazuma fellow back in here. I'm sure with the wounds I left him, killing him would be quick and simple."

Dead Master smirked. "Why is it you must always torture that poor man? Just for the fact that he looks like your late husband…"

"Oh, don't jump to conclusions, Dead Master. I only assumed you wanted something sweet to eat."

"Well, thank you for that, but it seems your wounds aren't affecting him as much as you thought." Dead Master waved her hand, and an image appeared in front of them. In it, Mazuma and Shizu were lying on the bed in their bedroom, and one could note the bandage around Mazuma's head. It was clear they were both undressed, and Mazuma was on top of Shizu.

Death Scythe scowled. "Look at them. It's disgusting! How they revel in each other's presence! Love only gets in the way! Makes the heart more sensitive, so the final blow will be more painful!"

"Death Scythe, calm down." Dead Master said, waving the image away. "I know you hate them, and their relationship, but Mazuma and Shizu are both strong and able warriors. We need them both." Dead Master smirked. "But how's this: by the time we're through with them, you can have all the fresh meat you want!"

* * *

**dun dun DUNNN!**

**It appers as if Dead Master isn't as thankful of the Apostles help as they may think! Also, I tried to keep the scene between Mazuma and Shizu suggestive, yet not very "dirty." I hope I succeeded.**

**And I hope I was able to grasp Haku's personality. I tried to get it so that she has little to no self confidence, and wants to help but is afraid she'll only make things worse. Whereas Mato believes that her only perpose as a Commuter is to fight, and will push herself past her limit, weather in singing or fighting. I just relized she's a little like Dell in this way.**

**Now, Since I forgot to add a reveiw question in last chapter, I'll add one now. After the chapters I'll sometimes ask you guys to answer a question in the reveiws, as it gives me ideas and helps me write. I'd like you to answer them in your reveiw, but it is not mandatory.**

**First question: Who do you think Mii's "Madre" is? (Hint: The answer is on the Black Rock Shooter wiki) (Although it dosn't say it out loud. You have to put all the info together.)**

**Second question: Who in the Black Rock Shooter series does Haku bear a resemblance to?**

**That's all for tonight, folks! Thanks, and see ya!**


End file.
